Directions

Place cashews in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Combine flour, salt and chopped cashews; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Divide dough in half; shape each into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Using a floured scalloped round 3-in. cookie cutter, cut a semicircle from one corner of the dough, forming the inside of a crescent shape. Reposition cutter 1-1/4 in. from inside of crescent; cut cookie, forming a crescent 1-1/4 in. wide at its widest point. Repeat with remaining dough. Chill and reroll scraps if desired.

Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 6-7 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Combine the confectioners' sugar, milk and remaining vanilla; spread or drizzle over cookies as desired. Sprinkle with chopped cashews if desired. Leave some cookies plain or sprinkle them with additional confectioners' sugar if desired. Let iced cookies stand until set. Store in an airtight container.Yield: 6 dozen.

Originally published as Extra-Special Cashew Crescents in Taste of Home
October/November 2010, p73

"I saw these cookies were the grand prize winner for one of the Christmas cookie contests in TOH so I thought I would try them. Honestly, I thought they looked kind of bland by the picture but these cookies taste even better than they look! I made a batch for my dad and a batch for my sister and her roommate. Everyone loved them! I thought they were delicious too and my husband and kids really liked them too. I like that you can make them look fancy with the variety of toppings and coatings. I will be making these again this Christmas. :-)"

"Made these Christmas 2010 - HUGE HIT! Made them as pictured, with a scalloped biscuit cutter, and iced/decorated in the same varieties. Only downside is that its tedious (sp?), and it makes a buttload of cookies. They came out perfect though, and i'd say they are an easy cookie to bake. Will be making them again this year. Wouldnt change a thing."

"Tried the recipe again; measured exactly, chopped the cashews instead of using the food processor. First of all, the cookies do have a great flavor, unlike any other Christmas cookie I made this year. However, the recipe is still little touchy. The first rolling/cutting baked like the greasy lace ones I mentioned previously. On the next rolling, and those after, I added a good bit of flour while rolling. These cookies more closely resembled the picture. My verdict: the recipe needs more flour."